Rai, who lives with her fiancée Nikki and who works for the NHS, said: “I’d been writing the book really for about six years, and a few times I nearly packed it in.

“Just as I was graduating, I sent it off to about 30 agents, and they came back and said it wasn’t really something of interest to them.

“I decided to just contact publishers direct, and was then offered a contract.

“It was an amazing feeling. I was really pleased.

“It’s a fictional work and characters, but I used some of my own experiences in my life for ideas.

“I wanted to give some money to the charity from the book sales, as the main character in the book starts to realise she might be gay.

“And I know there may be a lot of young people out there in a similar situation.

“The book is set in her first year of university, and I don’t think there are that many books out there for young adults, so that’s why I wanted to aim it at that age group.”

Rai, who also plays in local punk band Pink Hearse, has always been interested in writing: “It’s always been a passion, I used to write lots of stories when I was at primary school. And I always felt I’d like to be a magazine journalist.”

Rai is now planning further instalments of Cherry’s adventures.

For more information, or to buy the book, visit www.raijaynehearse.co.uk